When you think of physical therapy, you probably see the activity as a way to recover following an injury or surgery. Injury recovery and a reduction in pain are the most common expected results from physical therapy, but it can do so much more for you. In today’s blog, we share four unexpected benefits of participating in a physical therapy program.
Injury Prevention
Physical therapy can obviously help you recover following an injury or surgery, but a lot of people don’t know that it can actually help prevent these problems from developing in the first place. A lot of elite athletes partake in physical therapy routines as a way of targeting specific muscle groups and to strengthen areas that may be prone to injury in their specific sport. We’d be happy to help develop a routine to improve your game and reduce your injury risk!
Prehabbing
As we talked about in this blog, prehabbing is an important part of the surgical process. Going into surgery as healthy as possible helps to improve post-op outcomes, and one way in which people strive to get healthy before they go under the knife is with a targeted physical therapy routine. Check out that post for even more information on the benefits of prehabbing.
Establish Healthy Routines
Whether you’re prehabbing or doing sessions after surgery, getting in a regular PT routine is great for your overall health. Forming these healthy habits and learning about what helps or hinders our body’s success is key to staying healthy long after your PT routine ends. Physical therapy isn’t just a short-term program; it’s designed to help your health over the long term.
Quality of Life
Yes, decreasing pain will help with your quality of life, but there are so many other factors that PT can help with that serve to improve your quality of life. You’re not just improving your range of motion, you’re gaining the ability to play with your children without limitations or get back on your bicycle. Physical therapy helps us regain independence that may have been lost, and independence is a key factor in how we view our quality of life.
PT of Costa Rican National Soccer Team for 2007 World Cup in Victoria, CAN. Clinical Instructor for University of Minnesota Doctor of Physical Therapy Affiliations
- How to Put Your Mind At Ease Before Surgery - January 28, 2025
- How Physical Therapy Can Help After A Bone Fracture - January 27, 2025
- Treating Jumper’s Knee With Physical Therapy - January 22, 2025
